Spiral Sugar Cookies
I know it has been a couple of weeks of a lot of guest posts and not much of my personal ramblings but I appreciated the help SO much and there would have only been crickets and dust here at Rachel Cooks if not for these six lovely ladies. THANK YOU!
Today I have Rachel from Baked By Rachel. I am so in love with these cookies she made, aren’t they adorable? Rachel never disappoints on her blog, she always has delicious recipes, great photos and sometimes you even get a picture or two of her cute kiddos.
Thanks again Rachel!
________________________
I’m happy to be able to help out Rachel today. And I hope you’ll enjoy what I brought! I actually made these for Valentine’s Day but let’s just look at them as pretty pink swirled and sprinkled cookies perfect to brighten any girls’ day. I have two little girls so I’m totally allowed to play this card. Pink is a required item in this house, as are sprinkles, dolls, and dress up clothes.
I spotted these a while back couldn’t get them out of my head. They’re a fun and colorful addition to any dessert table. Plus, they can be easily colored to fit your party colors… St Patty’s day = green swirls or two tone green swirls! Easter could be pastels. I can even picture a red, white and blue cookie for patriotic occasions or red and green for Christmas time. The possibilities are endless really.
I like to use my go to sugar cookie recipe instead of the recipe Heather over at Sprinkle Bakes uses but I took the spiral and sprinkle idea from her.
This recipe is inspired by Pip & Ebby and Sprinkle Bakes. I hope you enjoy it!
Spiral Sugar Cookies {Guest Post}
A festive spiral sugar cookie that can be customized for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups flour
- Gel color (I use Wilton rose icing color)
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Scrape bowl as needed. Add egg and vanilla. Mix until partially combined. Add remaining dry ingredients. Mix on low until ingredients are well combined.
- Divide dough in half. Leave half in the mixing bowl and transfer the other half to a large sheet of waxed paper. To the dough in the bowl, add a small amount of gel color. A small amount goes a long way. Mix until dough is evenly colored.
- Top off uncolored dough with a second sheet of waxed paper. Roll out into a large rectangle. Repeat process with the colored dough. Carefully remove top waxed paper from each rectangle. Flip colored dough onto uncolored dough. Trim dough into a neat rectangle so both colors are the same size. Discard extra dough or reserve for extra cookies. Carefully roll starting at one of the short ends. Pull up on the waxed paper, roll slow and tight. If the dough cracks at all, just press it back together.
- Roll dough log into desired sprinkle colors. This can be a bit messy so you may want to do this in a large tray or platter to keep the sprinkles from going everywhere. Wrap in plastic wrap, then store in two large glasses so the logs stay round in your refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice into 1/4" slices. Space 1-2" apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just slightly turning golden on the bottoms.
- Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Tint cookies a different color for various occasions, using matching sprinkles.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 123Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 60mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
60 Comments on “Spiral Sugar Cookies”
I am set on making these in a couple color variations for our school’s “Seussical” cast party! So glad to see you using a tried and true sugar cookie dough – that was my inclination also. I won’t have time to make a test batch, but I have lots of experience with cut cookies and my go-to sugar dough recipe :) Even better that I can make it all ahead of time and just store in the fridge til party day.
Any hints on keeping the perfect round shape when slicing? Too cold – you press hard with the knife and dent it (or risk cracking the slice); too warm – it smooshes easier. did you find you have to “reshape” the slices?
yay! thanks!
Funny the way you said you saw the cookies and couldn’t get them out of your head. I am the same way when I see something. I basically have to bake it out of my head.
These turned out great! I was a bit scared once I rolled them together and it seemed like the colors combined but I was shocked to see that when I cut them they still looked perfect! Great recipe thanks!
I just made these and they are great. My only issue was getting them into a nice log shape think I might put the mixture into the fridge after rolling it out between the paper. Can’t wait to eat them :)
I just made these for a tea party for my daughters. They came out beautiful! Almost as nice as yours. I just couldn’t seem to get the sprinkles to stick. After rolling the dough together and rolling in sprinkles, I refrigerated the dough for 30 minutes just to make it easier to cut. They are round, swirly and pink! Oh, and they are delicious! I think this will be my go to sugar cookie dough now. Thanks for sharing.
I just tried to make these and I was so disappointed! These were so crumbly and all they did was fall apart I followed the recipe and I was a mess! Must say one of the worst recipes ever!
Not an easy cookie to make. I got so frusterated I eneded up mixing the colored dough and the regular dough together in a moment of rage! The mixture is too wet to peel off the wax paper, and even with an unimaginable amount of flour it is still impossible to roll together. Next time I try this I think I will put the two seperate pieces of dough in the fridge before rolling them together, maybe that will make the process easier. Cute idea, but not good directions!
I’ve just made these cookies, they are in the oven so yet to see how they turn out!
Like others have said I found the dough quite dry, but I had to work it quite a lot to get the colour even, so in the end it was fairly workable. I’m a bit worried about the amount of mixing it took though. I think a little extra butter at the start would work better (I converted to grams so it was 115g butter, 225g sugar and 250g flour).
When you roll it up you have to make sure you keep it really tight, and then when you roll in the sprinkles make sure you always roll in the same direction or it will come apart. I had to seperate out the colours, re roll and roll it up again after making this mistake!
I also had trouble getting my sprinkles to stick, despite quite a bit of presssure. In the end I ressorted to dampening the outside of the dough slightly which seems to have worked. I am not convinced they wont melt in the oven yet!
Yes! Great Valentines Cookies! Came out not as round as i would of liked lol but they work and are yummy!
These turned out amazing. Perfect for valentines day :)
Great! So happy to hear it.
How many cookies does one batch make?
could you use regular food coloring instead of the gel coloring??
Hi Cassandra–Rachel, the author of this recipe answered that question in a previous comment. Here are her remarks: “Personally, I use gel coloring 99% of the time because it doesn’t effect the consistency of the recipe (may it be dough, frosting, etc). Plus, a little goes a long way! You can easily find a wide variety of gel colors at your local craft store in the baking aisle and online. I hope that helps.”
So–the safest bet is gel coloring, especially since these are a rolled dough and might be harder to roll out with the addition of more liquid from regular food coloring.
If you chill the dough after mixing it is easier to roll out.
This recipe totally didn’t turn out! The dough was way too crumbly, almost the consistency of flour!! Epic fail. Seems like some others have had the same issue, maybe there is something wrong with the recipe.
So sorry to hear that, Danielle! I’m disappointed that people are having a hard time with these–I’ll be sure to look into it. Thanks for letting me know!
Great sugar cookie recipe!! It is crumbly at first but I thought it rolled out great between Syran wrap! It’s so simple and easy!! I’m gonna use it for my go to sugar cookie recipe too !! Thanks so much
Went to make these and I think something might be wrong with the recipe proportions. It’s too dry and crumbly. Impossible to roll out. Are you sure the recipe is correct?
Sorry to hear they didn’t turn out, Paige! The recipe is Rachel’s of Baked by Rachel, so I cannot verify the recipe, but it seems like others have had success with it. I’ll ask Rachel to swing by here and double check it.
Hi Paige, sorry to hear you had issues with the recipe. I don’t really have any guesses as to what went wrong on your end though as this is my standard sugar cookie recipe which I’ve never experienced issues with in any way, nor have others that have made it. In a pinch, you could certainly use store bought dough and tint it as desired.
After you’ve mixed all the ingredients together, is it supposed to be crumbly? When I pressed it together it would stick but it would not roll out. Suggestions? Thx for taking the time. :)
Hi Paige–wanted to write another quick comment to make sure you saw Rachel’s response and great advice about store-bought dough. Gotta love shortcuts! :)
Can I freeze these? How long?
You can typically freeze most doughs so long as they’re wrapped well and of course labeled. 1 to maybe 2 months in a refrigerator freezer compartment and 3+ months in a stand alone freezer.
I had trouble getting my sprinkles to stick. I live in Denver. High altitude adjustment? I had to kneesd the dough a lot to get the gel to mix in….too much mixing? Any suggestions? Loved the taste and the dough rolled out fine…just want sprinkles to stick.
As you roll the dough through the sprinkles, you give slight pressure which helps them to stick. Plus, the chill time also helps them to stick to the dough and firm it up a bit. As for the mixing and kneading, it’s not necessary to knead the dough since this isn’t bread. You simply add a touch of gel coloring and have the mixer do the work. It does blend well quickly.
These are awesome! Think I will try them for Xmas!!
Does the coloring have to be gel coloring? Is it possible to use food coloring in the dough instead?
Hi Elizabeth! This is Rachel from Baked by Rachel‘s original recipe, I’ll pass on your question to her.
Hi Elizabeth – Personally, I use gel coloring 99% of the time because it doesn’t effect the consistency of the recipe (may it be dough, frosting, etc). Plus, a little goes a long way! You can easily find a wide variety of gel colors at your local craft store in the baking aisle and online. I hope that helps.
I just got asked to make cookies for a girlie event for 3rd-6th graders…guess what I am making!!? Sooooooooo cute! Thanks!
Perfect! Enjoy! One reader recommended chilling the dough before rolling it out, fyi! :)
I have been making a minty variation of these every Christmas for 10+ yrs. Here’s my secret…. add peppermint extract/oil to one half of the dough. I add it to the pink, and mix the flavoring in when I do the coloring. I have also made them lemon flavor with a yellow swirl. You can use any flavor/color combo imaginable! I’m dieing to try almond or instant coffee with cocoa.
these cookies are very pretty but the recipe given does not work for the technique. it turned out to be a mess and waste of ingredients.
I’m sorry to hear that! What part do you think gave you the problems?
About how many cookies does 1 batch make?
The cookies are sooo gorgeous! :)
“Happy Cooking”
I love these! They’ve been on my to-make list for a while now and each time I see them I’m more and more impressed. Awesome guest post :)
I’m hosting a baby shower in a few weeks and these will be just perfect. She’s having two little girls! I love the tip about setting the dough in the glasses. Thanks!
What great cookies! They are so cute in their pink!
Truly a work of art!
Too cute, especially the ones coming out of the little mailbox.
I saw these come through on my email earlier and I have been thinking of them all day! These are just so pretty!
These are gorgeous and so pretty in pink.
I just love the pink swirl and the sprinkles. These are adorable!
this is seriously SO cool..i LOVE them!! I probably won’t get these out of my head so i will definitely be making them soon :)
Wonderful guest post, the cookies are really so pretty!
CUTE!
These are too awesome. LOVE that color and the sprinkles!
Beautiful cookies…what a work of art they are!
these cookies are absolutely lovely. nicely done, rachel + good choice on guest bloggers, rachael! =)
Oh my goodness, these are so pretty!
My girls would love these cookies! They are so pretty.
This is so pretty! I love it, too pretty to bake!
Thanks so much for having me Rachel! :)
I tried to make these over Christmas and had a fail of epic proportions! Must try again!
Rachel, these look perfect!!!!! No, for reals, the cookie you cut is perfectly round, no flat edge from pressing down on the knife. Nice work!
I almost corrected you because you said Rachel and I thought you thought I made them…but then I realized you probably read the post and were talking about the other Rachel. Oh boy. Where’s my coffee?
PS: Aren’t they the most gorgeous cookies ever?
Those are so cute! I have two little girls also, so we love pink around here. I love the sprinkles on the outside; so festive!